One Last Reset
by K.M. Redselig
Summary: After freeing the monsters and returning to the surface, Frisk suddenly has an idea how to help Asriel too. He heads back into the Underground to find him and hopefully help him start a new life. Will his idea work?
1. One Way to Find Out

One Last Reset

by K.M. Redselig

Summary: After freeing the monsters and returning to the surface, Frisk suddenly has an idea how to help Asriel too. He heads back into the Underground to find him and hopefully help him start a new life. Will his idea work? Can Asriel have a future after all?

Note: This story is currently undergoing renovations. Feel free to read it, but I am making revisions. Thanks!

* * *

One Way to Find Out

Frisk lay in bed. Tossing about did little to ease his insomnia. He stared at the ceiling blankly.

Humans and monsters were coming together. The process had the potential to be bumpy. Nonetheless, a happy new beginning was still within reach.

The mayor of the human city closest to Mount Ebott took the news well. Perhaps it was that the breaking story helped deflect media attention away from a looming scandal he was involved with. Still, the upper ranks and bureaucrats of the town were scrambling to control the spin, and make this transition as easy as possible. How much information do we give the people at a time? How do we avoid scaring them? Most public officials worked overtime busying themselves with these questions.

But most of the humans were not worried. Some even met the monsters halfway. They were curious about the newcomers.

Alphys and Undyne were together. They were staying with Frisk in a small house on the outskirts of the city. Sans was still busy being not busy. Papyrus was having fun seeing everything the city had to offer. Toriel was enjoying her teaching job. Asgore was getting along well with other humans. They could not have asked for a better transition. And they had Frisk to thank for much of it.

He continued staring at the ceiling.

Something was wrong.

The dialogue played in his head like a broken record.

"I have to go now, Frisk."

"Why?"

"...In a little while, I'll just turn back into a flower. I'll stop being myself. I'll stop being able to feel love again. So Frisk, it's best if you just forget about me, okay?"

"I can't just leave you here."

"Just go be with the people who love you."

"You should come back with us too."

There was the hug too. The attempt to comfort him. The tears in his eyes.

"I don't want to let go."

...

"Frisk... don't you have anything better to do?"

Rewind. Repeat.

As Frisk lay in bed, someone knocked softly on his door. "F-Frisk?"

"Yeah Alphys?"

"I... oh gosh. I didn't know you were in bed."

"It's okay. I wasn't asleep. What's up?"

"Well, I, uh... I hate to admit it, but... gosh, how can I say this? Well... do you remember after we left the Underground? And I said I was going to spend my time here watching anime?"

"Yeah?"

"I, uhh... I can't do it. Because I can't figure out how to use the TV."

Frisk smiled wryly at her. "Come on. You were the royal scientist, and you can't figure out how to work the TV?"

"Well, uhh." She blushed. "Not this one. I think it's the remote. It has way more buttons than I've ever seen. And everything's different than what I'm used to. Umm... maybe you could help me?"

"Alright, why not?" He got out of bed and went down to the basement with Alphys.

Maybe helping her would allow him to take his mind off of the problem.

He showed her all of the remotes. There were three of them. He explained their functions and went into detail about how they worked. Alphys listened intently.

"...and for the DVD player, you need this one." Alphys looked at him quizzically as he was explaining everything. "You tried the buttons on the unit? I figured. You need the remote. I know, it's weird."

"Wow! Well, you're pretty smart! I mean, I always knew you were smart. But you can remember all this." Her smile faded. "Uh, why do you need three remotes? Why not just one big super-remote?"

Frisk sighed. "Well... that's complicated. Don't ask me how I know these things. I never watch TV. I don't even know if this one works." He handed the remote to Alphys. "Anyway though, I think that's it. Why don't you try it and see?"

Alphys pressed the power button. The picture came on, and they were greeted by the image of a man giving a speech to a large audience.

"...if I'm elected mayor, first thing, first thing I'm gonna do. I'm gonna build a wall, a big, giant wall around Mount Ebott. And the monsters are gonna pay for it!" The audience booed.

"Oop. You need a different channel too." Frisk changed it.

"Who's that, Frisk?"

"Don't worry about it."

Alphys popped the DVD in, pressed the appropriate buttons, and got to the start screen. "I think it works! Th-thanks!"

"Any time." Frisk gave a slight smirk. "You know what's really cool Alphys?"

"W-what's that?"

"You seem a lot more confident these days."

"Oh! Well, uh... I think part of it's because of you. I mean, that was a really big thing you did. I mean, nobody thought anybody could do that. I guess, well... if you can do that, I can do great things too! Right?"

Frisk nodded. "You're right. I believe you can do anything you want. You just need to stay determined."

"Yeah! And Undyne, well. She's helped me a lot too. She's really confident. She helps me feel better about being confident."

"It's showing. That's really terrific."

"Yeah, but... I mean, still, you did a lot. A lot of people really were inspired by what you did. You know? None of this would have been possible without you."

Day by day, things went as normal. Everyone was acclimating to their new lives. Frisk was doing a good job being the ambassador to the monsters, as far as anyone could tell.

Yet on a fairly regular basis, usually in the middle of the night, Alphys could swear she heard a noise coming from Frisk's room. It sounded like crying. She never found the gumption to ask about it.

Frisk didn't appear sad during the day. Sometimes, he looked tired. That was all.

Still, it wasn't hard for the others to notice how he would pick at his food, disinterested. He forced himself to eat. Malnourishment was not something he wanted on top of his other problems.

Eventually, one night, a crying spell turned into dry heaves.

How much more of this could he take?

Alphys looked at him, concerned. "Are you okay, Frisk?"

Frisk shook his head, exasperated. "I don't know."

"Maybe... you ate something bad?"

"No, it's not that." He sighed. "Alphys... I'm really bothered by something. I'm sorry I didn't talk about it before."

"Oh. Really? Uhh... was it something I did?"

"No." Then he remembered the lab down in the Underground. Way to go, Frisk. "Ahh... it's okay. Never mind."

"Oh. Well... are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Frisk hesitated. Why keep it a secret? No. He had to say something.

"Alphys... I saw Asriel before we left the Underground."

"...Asriel?"

"Yes. I talked to him. And he said..." His voice started to shake. "He said he was going to be a flower again. That he couldn't feel love anymore."

Alphys was speechless.

"I just... I couldn't leave him there like that. But there was nothing I could do. He wouldn't come back."

"Frisk... it's... it's okay. Calm down."

"It's not okay."

"Take a deep breath."

Frisk attempted to. He continued his attempts.

Alphys tried to remain calm, herself. After all, it was this issue again. Rearing its ugly head.

"I wish there was something I could do, Frisk."

Several moments went by. Frisk had wrapped a blanket around himself. He was exhausted.

"Alphys..."

"Yeah?"

Frisk turned to look at her. "I've never felt this way before."

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I think so." He then stared ahead. "This is wrong. It shouldn't be this way. I know there's a way to reach him. There has to be. He doesn't have to stay down there. He can come back too."

Alphys looked down. "We tried a lot of things to help him."

"I know you did. But... this isn't over yet."

"Just, uhh... I understand, Frisk. I really do. But try to get some rest, okay?"

Frisk nodded slowly. Alphys was right. He had to do something. But no sense in running on empty.

He lay in bed. He stared at the ceiling.

The dark room was easy on the senses. He was growing tired of it.

How to get to Asriel? There had to be a way.

Just go to sleep already. Worry about it tomorrow.

Maybe he could have given his own soul to Asriel. Turned over his own life. He could even go back and find him, and make the offer.

He seriously considered it. Was that really necessary though? Maybe it would help. But it could bring its own problems too.

No. There had to be another way. Besides, Asriel needed his own soul.

Frisk. Just go to sleep already.

A few nights later. Another particularly sleepless night. No revelations were immediately forthcoming.

Only that hug, playing in his mind. That comfort he tried to offer the little monster. The tears in his eyes. There it was, again and again.

Wait. Could it be...?

Frisk sat up.

Yes. It had to be.

It was so obvious. When Frisk comforted Asriel, whatever responded to him was not nothing. There was something there.

Was Asriel wrong? Was he really incapable of caring? Or love?

Did he really have no soul? Did he really have to resign himself to being a flower?

He had something in him already. It was there. He just had to find it again somehow.

Frisk found himself outside, looking at the stars. It would be dawn soon.

"How do you help someone find their soul?"

To his knowledge, there were no books, no instruction manuals, nothing anywhere, explaining how to do it. Besides, monster souls weren't supposed to persist after death, were they?

He sat down and rested his chin on his fist, staring at the mountain. He thought back on Alphys' experiments in the Underground. Those were a failure. There still had to be a way though. What could he do?

How about... maybe he could find Asriel's soul using some kind of technology. Maybe there was a machine he could use to locate it and help him reconnect to it. Maybe the monsters had one, in the Underground somewhere.

But that was silly. Why would you need to use a machine to do that? You shouldn't need a machine to heal someone's soul.

Frisk knew nothing about souls at all.

He paused for a few moments in thought, his mind going over the possibilities. He paced back and forth on the concrete patio.

Finally, he stopped in his tracks. No. He couldn't fix the problem. He couldn't rescue him. He could do nothing to get the little monster's soul back.

But maybe... maybe Asriel could do it himself. Somehow. Maybe he could reconnect with his own soul. Perhaps if he learned how to love again. Was it out of the question that he could?

Maybe he didn't need to be rescued.

But it probably wouldn't hurt if he were surrounded by friends who cared about him and supported him. If he had a future outside of the Underground. If he had a life worth waking up to. Maybe then...

Nobody ever said it was possible. That didn't mean it wasn't. Either way, there was only one way to find out.

He loaded up on supplies. Enough to last him a few days. Just in case something went wrong. He looked around, settling on a plastic flower pot. Then he picked out some garden implements from the shed.

This wasn't over.

He stared at the mountain. One step, then another, he began the trek back. On his way there, he sent a text message to Alphys letting her know he was running an errand.


	2. Last Chance

Last Chance

The journey didn't take long. Having finally reached the mountain, Frisk made his way toward the opening where the barrier used to be. The occasional monster could be seen exiting the Underground. A few helicopters circled overhead.

He entered the opening and went back into the Underground. Passing through the throne room, he made his way through the gardens, eventually moving outside of the palace. He attempted to use the elevator that would take him down toward the entrance. It was broken.

He traveled down the long road that overlooked the large monster city. At one point, he paused for a moment to take in the view.

Previously, he had not taken the time to really appreciate its size. It was huge. So many monsters must have lived there. Those buildings would soon be vacant, and would likely only surface again during an archaeological excavation.

Frisk surveyed the city for a few more moments. Then, he moved on.

Fewer lights were on in the Core than what he remembered. Its chambers were eerily quiet. Only low humming sounds from indeterminate sources could be heard, likely from transformer boxes or electrical panels.

Making his way down the hallways, he eventually reached the hotel. The same quiet permeated the atmosphere. Nobody was in the lobby. Frisk could hear his footsteps echoing through the building as he walked slowly through it.

In Hotland, the sound of churning lava filled the air. Frisk decided to pop over to look at Alphys' lab. He could find no way inside. It didn't really matter. Frisk wasn't convinced he needed anything from it anyway. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he made his way through the region.

Some of the monsters he encountered recognized him. They cheered him on, and thanked him for what he did. Some of them asked for autographs. Frisk would stay and chat for a few moments, often explaining that he was there just to pick something up that he had left behind.

He would also ask them if they had seen a talking flower anywhere. But nobody had.

Frisk made his way through the waterfall area, down the dimly-illuminated paths. He did his best to remember which way to go. Stopping to listen to the echo flowers, he found that most of them echoed conversations from monsters excited at the prospect of starting their new lives. No mention of Flowey.

Eventually, he reached Snowdin. He noticed that it seemed to be colder than normal. The wind howled, assailing his jacket with the bitter temperature. At least he was prepared to deal with it. Many of the homes were now empty, but some monsters were still there, wrapping things up in their lives before moving on.

He stopped to chat with the monsters, again, always sure to ask about Flowey. Again, nobody had seen anything.

He paused, taking a short breather. He could see his breath in the air.

"psst... hey. wanna grab a bite?"

Frisk turned around. "Sans. I didn't know you were down here." He thought. "Where can we go?"

"grillby decided to stick around a little bit more, until the town dries up. come on. i know a shortcut."

"Uhh... Sans. It's just right over there."

"i know. that was fast, wasn't it?" Sans winked.

Grillby's was still as alive as ever. Plates and glasses clinked. It was cleaner than Frisk expected, but there was no sign of etiquette anywhere. Off in the corner, a large monster gorged on an unidentifiable piece of food. A humanoid monster clad in a pink body suit scurried on all fours up to the counter, then stood up and banged on it repeatedly. "Hamburger please!"

Frisk munched on his burger. Sans munched on his. Not much was on the menu anymore. All of their food was on clearance before Grillby's closed up for good. Sans grabbed a ketchup bottle.

"this is a good time to ketchup, don't you think?" He rolled the bottle back and forth to get the condiment to come out. Once he had a steady stream, he raised the bottle in the air and poured it into his mouth. Satisfied, he turned back to Frisk. "hamburgers are the best. i'll make no buns about it."

"I'm glad you decided to meat me here."

"touche. you know, i told grillby once he needed to use more baking soda. he said he didn't like my baseless accusations."

Frisk's expression didn't change.

"anyway, i had to come back to get some things from my house. i was working on moving my stuff out earlier, but i threw my back out. thankfully, someone saw it in the garbage can and left it in front of my door."

"You should get on that. I don't know how much time you have."

"i'll get around to it eventually."

They continued eating. Frisk looked around, observing the activity in the restaurant.

"Having fun on the surface?"

"it's great," replied Sans. "down here, i spent a lot of time doing nothing. up there, i get to do much more nothing than before."

Frisk sipped on his drink. "That's a good deal." He glanced around the restaurant. "Is it just me, or has it gotten colder here?"

"it's colder. some of the facilities are being shut down. it's affecting the temperatures." He grinned. "so, you're here for the same thing, i take it? came back to get a few things?"

Frisk looked at him. "What made you think so?"

"it's pretty obvious. you're carrying that flower pot around." Sans watched as Frisk took a deep breath. He did a little jig and sang off-key. "you'll always be a pot of me." He grinned. "just messing with you, kid. whaddaya think?"

Frisk let out a sigh. "You're right, Sans. I came back for him." He set the pot down on the floor. "I couldn't just leave him here. That's not right."

"i see. you want to try to help him somehow?"

"He needs another chance."

"well, kiddo, you always did the right thing. i'm sure whatever you're doing now is the right thing too."

"It's more than that, Sans. I mean... I think there is a way for him to be himself again too. There has to be. I have this idea that... maybe if he learned how to love again. That could really help."

Sans nodded. "maybe." He drank out of the ketchup bottle again. "i'm sure you know about the experiments by now."

"Yeah. I know they tried to help him then." He paused. "I think I know why those failed."

"i'm all earholes."

"Remember how they tried to put determination into the monsters to bring them back? Determination doesn't work that way. It has to come from inside you." Frisk looked at Sans, seeing the blue light in one of his eye sockets. "That's why I think we can get to him. I think he already has the power inside of himself. Once he finds it, he could be who he really is again."

"interesting. think he'll want to?"

Frisk looked down. "Well... that's the thing. I don't know." He clutched his napkin. "If he doesn't... I mean... I think if he knew he had a choice, he might. But I don't think I can do it for him. I can't fix him."

"so, you want to save him, and you think he can be saved, but you can't save him."

"Yeah. I guess you could say that."

Sans nodded. "well, at least you're not ready to throw in the trowel yet. that's good."

Frisk gave a small smile. "You know why, right? Because nobody knows the trowels I've seen."

"i guess you have a point." He patted the table. "i'm fresh out of ideas for you. but i'd like to see what you come up with."

"Do you know anything else that might help, Sans?"

"are you trying to dig up some dirt on the situation?"

Frisk gazed straight ahead. "Yeah. You could say that."

"well, let's say i've heard a few things."

Frisk set his drink down. "Sans, I have a feeling you know a lot more than you let on."

"hey, kiddo. you're in uncharted territory. i can't tell you the right way to handle this. i just know you surprised everyone with what you did. nobody thought it was possible. if you have a hunch about this situation, i'd say go for it. who knows what you might turn up?"

Frisk smiled. "Thanks Sans. Thanks for believing in me."

"i told you to knock 'em dead. you did that." He leaned in to Frisk, and lowered his voice. "what do you know about flowey so far? what's one thing he hates?"

"If I had to guess, boredom? That, or he doesn't want anyone feeling sorry for him."

"that's two things. don't overdo it, kid. but, that's pretty right on. anyway. don't feel sorry for him. just be matter-of-fact with him. that's the only way you will get through."

"Come on, Sans. What are you not telling me? I know you know something about this I don't."

"hey, if it makes you feel better, i just know a good idea when i see one." He polished off the rest of his food.

"Any idea where to find him?"

"i'm sure he's not far. if i were you, i wouldn't overlook any details." He grinned, stood up, and paid the bill. "anyway, see you round."

Frisk trudged out of Snowdin. He made his way to Toriel's home. It was completely empty. While in the abandoned home, he took a few moments to look through some of the items that she had left behind. Maybe he would find some clues, or some information that would point him in the right direction. He leafed through the cookbooks, gardening books, sewing books, until something fell out of one of them.

He bent over and picked up the photo. It was Toriel, with Asriel. A heart was scrawled over the picture with a marker. Frisk turned it over and saw a very emotional, heartfelt goodbye note written on the back. A far cry from the jokes he was accustomed to seeing from her. He could feel how much she missed him. Given how she had hidden the photo away, Frisk guessed that at some point, she must have tried to distance herself from all of it.

He looked at the photo for a few moments before placing it back.

It's not over, he thought. We're going to make this right.

He went outside, searching through the gardens. Somebody had been taking care of the flowers. He made his way back to the entrance where he had initially fallen, and where he had seen Asriel for the last time.

Everything was as he remembered. But there was no sign of Flowey.

If not there, or in the gardens, where could he be?

"don't overlook any details."

Frisk paused, mulling over those words. Then it hit him. Did Sans really have to do that? Frisk made a mental note to get him back to Grillby's, and keep grilling him.

Stepping back outside, he made his way back towards Snowdin. He walked up the large hill that led toward the ledge overlooking the village. He passed a gyftrot, which was huffing about in the cold with Halloween lighting strung about on its antlers. It vanished before Frisk could do anything. He chuckled softly to himself at the sight. Poor thing.

A cold gust of wind besieged Frisk's jacket. As he got closer to the overlook, the wind became more frigid. His boots crunched softly against the thin layer of snow. Sparse snowflakes could be seen blowing in the wind. They came down harder the higher up he went. He had to shield himself from the cold as he neared the top.

Why was there so much wind here anyway?

He crept up slowly. Gently. So as not to startle him.

"That's a nice view."

Flowey turned to look at him. A large cheerful smile was plastered on his face. "Hello!" His smile abruptly vanished. "Oh... it's you. You came back."

Frisk looked down at him. "Yeah. I did. Want to guess why?"

"Uhh... maybe you're a glutton for punishment?" He grinned brightly.

Frisk smiled softly, and shrugged. "You can decide that for yourself." He stood and looked over Snowdin, watching the inhabitants scurrying about, wrapping up loose ends before beginning their new lives. The wind howled occasionally, nipping at Frisk's clothes.

After a few moments, Frisk knelt down so he could be at eye-level with Flowey. "How are you feeling today?"

Flowey appeared confused. "What kind of question is that? A pretty dumb one, if you ask me."

"I don't think so." He thrust his hands in his pockets. "It's just a way to show someone that you care about them." He surveyed the town from his position.

Slowly, Flowey turned his head away. "Why are you even here? You should forget about this place. You won. You had your happy ending. Now go on. Go be with your friends."

"You're wrong. It wasn't a happy ending. Not without you. That's why I came back. I had to take you back too."

"Oh..." Flowey thought for a second. "Well... that's silly! You came all the way down here just to get a flower, and take it up there so you could take care of it. Gosh, that's really sad. You must be lonely or something. Did all your other friends leave you? Is that it?"

"Someone has to take care of you, too." Frisk adjusted his hat. A snowy gust of wind blew his scarf to one side. "I've been thinking. See, I think you and I actually have a lot in common. I get bored easily. I like challenges too."

"You've been thinking. Well, there's a first time for everything, right?" Flowey smiled cheerfully.

Frisk's expression didn't change. "Look. You don't have a future here. Everyone is leaving the Underground. You should come up to the surface too." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You really should be part of this. I don't want to see you stay down here."

"Well..." Flowey thought. "I see. So you decided to take pity on me. Is that it?"

"I decided it's not fair for you to be alone here while everyone else starts a new life."

"Interesting. And this, after all I did to you. And everyone else."

"That's not important right now."

"Huh." Flowey folded his leafy arms and turned his gaze away dismissively. "You really are a glutton for punishment. I was right. Well... what if I refuse?"

Frisk eyed him. "You can if you want. I want you to have the choice. It's up to you."

Flowey hesitated.

"But if you stay, there won't be much here for you. I think you should have something better. You can have a new life on the surface. You might make friends. You can see new things." The wind started to pick up and howl even more. He gazed over the edge of the cliff, as the cold wind nipped at his clothing. "There's sunlight up there too. You might even have fun. When's the last time you had fun?"

Flowey thought for a moment. It was a good question. At his best recollection, the last time he had fun was when he watched someone get hurt.

Frisk stuck the end of the trowel into the dirt. "I know your life can mean more than this. That's why I'd like you to come back."

Flowey started to tremble. His petals drooped. "...why do you care about me?"

"If you have to ask, then you don't know me very well."

Flowey's expression sank. "I... I don't know. Really, Frisk. You wasted your time coming back here. Why don't you take care of yourself instead?" He feebly tried wrapping his stem with his leafy arms. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Come on." He reached out with a mittened hand. "I know things didn't go well for you. But whatever you decide here... I will never stop believing they can get better. Things can change. I especially believe they can for you. So, what do you say?"

He waited. Then he pulled his hand back a little bit. "This may be the last chance you ever get."

Flowey kept his gaze on the town. "It's not so bad here. Really. You should leave."

The wind started to blow harder. Small icicles were forming on Flowey's petals. The trees were swaying.

"Are you sure?" Frisk placed a hand on the ground. "Are you afraid of something? What is it?"

Flowey didn't answer.

"If you really don't like it up there, I'll bring you back. Okay?"

After a few moments, Frisk wrapped his mittened hand around the trowel. He was starting to shiver. "Whatever happens here, you're dreaming if you think I'm just going to forget about you."

Flowey frowned. He trembled. Either from the cold, or from something else. He reflected on the choice. If he went with Frisk and changed his mind later, he could always reset and come back.

Wait. No, he couldn't. He was not able to do that anymore. Not since the barrier was broken.

How many ways out did he have left?

He could fight Frisk again. Just for fun. He would lose. But so what?

Frisk looked at him straight in the eyes. His determination was almost palpable.

"Let's leave this place for good. You and me, together."

Flowey wavered some more. Looking over the people bustling around the town center. Feeling the chill of the winds, which were worsening by the moment. Then, looking at Frisk, who was waiting patiently in spite of his shivering. Finally, he slumped in the dirt. "Fine. You win."

"Am I finally getting through?" He gently, but quickly, began to dig Flowey out of the ground. "Come on, let's get out of here before the cold gets worse."


	3. Pathways

Pathways

A pair of boot prints led away from the hole where Flowey had been dug out. They had not gotten far, when a sharp gust of wind caught them both by surprise. The ledge that Flowey had been sitting on suddenly broke and fell toward the ground below. The debris crushed several trees and rolled down the hill. Frisk scrambled to get away from it, having to make extra efforts to shield both himself and Flowey from the wind.

The village of Snowdin came back into view. Just as well, the wind was dying down, and the temperature was getting milder. Frisk stopped to catch his breath, before moving on. He intended to take the ferry, but the ferry operator was not there. He made his way in a different direction.

Frisk carried the flower pot down the pathways near the waterfall. He took occasional moments to view the fake stars in the fake sky, while passing by the echo flowers. The walk was long. Frisk took his time, and both were quiet for a large part of the trip.

The icicles hanging from Flowey's petals had mostly melted. Eventually, he broke the silence. "So... remember when I threw those bullets at you? And told you those were 'friendliness pellets'? Remember that?"

"Yeah."

Flowey gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah... I got you pretty good, that time."

"You did." Frisk walked slowly down the path. "You know what? I learned something important from that too. Wanna guess what it was?"

"That this world is kill or be killed."

"Nope. That's not it."

Flowey tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Frisk walked down the winding path, maintaining his grip on the flower pot. "Here you were, a cute flower, pretending to want to help me. Then you tried to injure me. No big deal, I guess." He stopped to illuminate the pathway, and then carried on. "But then, I met other monsters. They were really scary looking, and sometimes I was afraid of them." He continued walking, bypassing several echo flowers, making his way toward the other side of the lake. "But when I got to know them, I found out they weren't like that. They were often really friendly and helpful."

"So... what do you mean exactly? What is your point?"

Frisk stopped. He held out the flower pot in front of himself. "What I learned is that... sometimes, things aren't the way they seem." He looked at Flowey, his expression flat. "That's not what you wanted me to learn. But that's what you really taught me." He held the pot closer to himself again as he continued walking. "That's also why you shouldn't give up either. You understand what I mean, don't you?"

"No."

"In other words, maybe you think you can't be yourself again. But maybe that isn't true after all."

Frisk reached the end of the path. He decided to sit down, and sat the flower pot beside himself.

"Frisk... I think I see what you're trying to do. But you don't understand. I'm a flower. I don't have a soul."

"You've played around enough with other souls. Don't you think it's time you had one of your own?"

"That's not possible anymore."

The sound of running water and occasional dripping permeated the environment.

Eventually, Frisk let out a sigh. He gazed straight ahead. "Haven't you learned anything yet? I know you have determination. I did things nobody thought was possible with determination." Slowly, he glanced over and looked at Flowey. "I believe you can too."

An annoyed expression crossed Flowey's face, as he looked back.

Frisk huffed. "You keep saying this is the way it has to be. That nothing can change. But you know what? That's just a story you keep telling yourself. That's all. Sooner or later, maybe you will see things differently."

After several minutes, Frisk stood up slowly, picking up the flower pot. He made his way in the direction of the ferry. This time, it was available.

After the ferry ride, the two made their way through Hotland. They went through the resort, then trudged down the long path overlooking the city. He stopped once more, to take in the view, making sure Flowey got a good look too.

"What are you going to miss most about this place?"

Flowey looked over the buildings, unemotional. "Nothing. I've seen it all. Why would anyone miss it? It's nothing but a giant tomb."

"That's fine. Let's go then. You need to see the surface."

Frisk continued the journey, making his way past the city to the palace.

"So... I have just one question," asked Flowey. "How did you know where to find me?"

"Let's say I have friends in high places."

Flowey snorted. "That's not a very good answer."

"Best I could do."

Frisk got back to where the barrier used to be. He turned to face it, letting Flowey get one last look.

"It's my turn to ask you something."

"What?"

"Do you want me to call you Flowey? Or do you prefer your real name?"

Flowey didn't answer.

"It doesn't matter to me either way. I'll call you whatever you want. What matters to me is that you understand someone cares about you."

He crossed the opening where the barrier had been, reaching the other side.

"By the way, Flowey. Think you'll want to meet your real parents again?"

"...no."

"Then we won't." Frisk moved slowly outside. Probably not a good idea anyway, he thought. Let sleeping dogs lie.

The moon cast a dim glow on the trees outside of the opening where the barrier used to be. The air was calm and fresh. Not far from the opening, a small group of monsters were chatting around a crudely-built vehicle. They quickly took notice. "Hey, it's Frisk!"

Frisk smiled and dipped his head. "Where are you guys going?"

"We're going to see the city! It's our first time on the surface. We're so excited!" Another chimed in. "I mean... we're going now, but we're going to wait until it's daylight before we really cruise around. "

"Be careful out there, okay?"

"We will. Hey, Frisk... what were you doing in the Underground?"

"Had to pick up a few things." Frisk looked at the vehicle. "If you're going that way, can I ride with you?"

The vehicle rolled down the dirt road, bumping along and leaving a large dust cloud in its wake. As the city came into view, the sun also appeared over the horizon, blanketing everyone with its rays. Flowey initially had to shield his eyes. Frisk held onto the pot tightly as the vehicle tumbled toward its destination.

"This is gonna be great!"

Flowey looked around at the landscape. The sun's warmth hit his petals, blanketing him. They were soothing to him in a way he had not experienced in the Underground. He swayed as the vehicle bumped along the road.

"It's been a while since you've been up here, hasn't it?" Frisk held onto the pot. "Don't worry. It won't be like last time."

Flowey looked at him. He could feel his determination. He could also feel something else.

She was there too. He could tell. She had never left him.

Normally, it brought a sense of comfort. Even when he couldn't see her, it still helped him feel that maybe he wasn't alone after all.

But somehow, this time, it just didn't feel the same. He felt uneasy. Hadn't he seen it all already? What was different now?

This was a mistake, wasn't it?

Go back, Flowey. So you can be together again. Don't worry about these people.

Flowey looked around at the trees and bushes, the squirrels and birds, the rocks, the dirt. The small towns that were coming into view, as well as the city. The clouds in the sky. It was a perfect day.

He remembered Frisk's offer to take him back to the Underground. Frisk had better make good on the offer.

"What are you thinking, Flowey?"

Flowey looked up. "Huh? Nothing."

"Yeah. There's a lot to do up here, you know."

"Uh huh. I can't wait."

The small house came into view. Frisk asked the monsters to stop. He exited the vehicle, carrying the pot and the equipment inside. Huffing, he set the pot down on the kitchen table. He paused to catch his breath, winded from the long journey.

"This is it? So... I'm just supposed to sit here on the table?"

"Yeah... it'll have to do for now. I'll find something better for you though, okay?"

Frisk thought some more. He wished he had thought farther ahead. His thinking was interrupted by a knock on the door.

He walked over to the door. It was seven in the morning. Who could it be? Throwing the door open, Papyrus didn't hesitate to greet him.

"HI FRISK! I BROUGHT YOU A PRESENT FOR BREAKFAST!"

"Thanks, Papyrus. What kind of present? Is it breakfast spaghetti?"

"NO! BREAKFAST LASAGNA!" He thrust the large tray into Frisk's hands.

"I can't wait to try it." He stuck the tray on the kitchen counter. "How's the surface?"

"IT'S GREAT! GETTING UP HERE WAS REALLY HARD! I HAD TO MOVE A WHOLE LOT OF MY THINGS! BY THE TIME I WAS DONE, MY KNEES WERE WEAK! MY ARMS WERE HEAVY! SO I MADE A WHOLE BUNCH OF... WELL, I'M SURE YOU CAN GUESS!"

Frisk smirked. "Yep. I think I can."

"I LOVE DRIVING AROUND!"

"So they let you have a car, huh?"

"YEAH! I WANTED ONE I COULD DRIVE. BUT... THEY GAVE ME A SELF-DRIVING CAR! NOW I JUST HAVE TO PRETEND TO DRIVE, AND I STILL LOOK COOL! TECHNOLOGY IS AWESOME!"

"Yeah. Those are great."

"IS... IS THAT..." Papyrus caught sight of the flower on the table. He squealed, raising his bony hands up to his face. "OH MY GOSH!"

"You remember Flowey? I just brought him in."

"I DO! FLOWEY! I'M FLOWEY'S BIGGEST FAN!"

Flowey's eyes went wide. He quirked a brow. "Yes... Papyrus. Nice to see you again."

"FLOWEY! CAN I HAVE AN AUTOGRAPH?"

"Uhh... sure." Flowey looked around nervously.

"THANKS! I'LL ADD IT TO MY COLLECTION!" He chewed nervously on the ends of his fingers. Then, he stood up straight. "I'M SORRY FRISK! YOU'RE MAKING ME WANT TO STAY. BUT I CAN'T! I HAVE LOTS OF DRIVING TO DO. THAT AND LOOKING AT THINGS THAT ARE PROBABLY COOL!"

"Hey, Papyrus. Why don't you take Flowey with you? Show him around a little."

Papyrus quivered. "WITH MY NEW CAR... AND FLOWEY... I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE THE BEST TOUR GUIDE EVER!" He quickly scooped up the flower pot. "FLOWEY! I KNOW YOU JUST GOT IN THE HOUSE! I'M HERE TO GET YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE AGAIN!" Soon he was gone, and sped off in his new vehicle.

Frisk puffed. Exhausted, yet relieved, he collapsed in one of the arm chairs.

The car hummed pleasantly down the freeway. Flowey sat in the passenger seat. He was buckled in.

"AND SEE... THERE'S A DEPARTMENT STORE! AND THE CITY HALL! AND THAT'S A POLICE STATION! AND THAT'S A SUBWAY STATION! AND THAT'S A PARK OVER THERE. AND, OH! OH! LOOK OVER THERE? SEE THAT?"

Flowey craned his head and strained his eyes. "No."

"IT'S THE CEMETERY! IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO MY FAVORITE SPAGHETTI PLACE!"

"Uh huh..." He was slowly taking in his surroundings. "You know what would be funny, Papyrus?"

"WHAT?"

"Let's say..." Flowey grinned. "Let's say you fell asleep, and the car drove into a group of people standing there minding their own business."

"THE CAR WOULD NEVER DO THAT! THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO AWESOME! YOU JUST SIT BACK AND RELAX LIKE YOU'VE NEVER RELAXED BEFORE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

"Okay..." Flowey looked glumly at the passersby.

Papyrus looked over to a group of lanky teenagers standing on the corner. He squealed with excitement.

"HEY! I KNOW THOSE PEOPLE! I'M GOING TO SAY HI!"

He had the car stop next to the corner. He beeped the horn and gave the teens a big clumsy wave. "HI GUYS!"

The teens walked up to his car. They gaped at him, big dopey grins on their faces. They were just as excited as he was. "HI PAPYRUS! WOW, NICE RIDE!"

"I KNOW! ISN'T IT AWESOME? I JUST GOT IT!"

"WE'RE SO JEALOUS! WE SHOULD TOTALLY HANG OUT SOMETIME! WE STILL NEED TO START YOUR FAN CLUB!"

Papyrus blushed. "I... I FEEL SO SPECIAL! I MEAN... I'M ALREADY SPECIAL! BUT THIS JUST ADDS TO THE SPECIALNESS!"

"WOW! WE TOTALLY GET YOU!"

Flowey watched the exchange, noticing how the teens' expressions almost perfectly mimicked Papyrus'. He rolled his eyes and groaned, and his face slumped down into the dirt.

"WELL, CAN'T CHAT NOW! GOTTA RUN AND DO COOL THINGS! LATER!"

"BYE PAPYRUS!" The teens waved at him awkwardly as he drove off.

Papyrus draped an arm over the passenger seat. "SEE? I'VE MADE LOTS OF COOL FRIENDS TOO! YOU SHOULD GO OUT AND MAKE FRIENDS! COOL ONES!"

The tour lasted throughout the day. Flowey strongly considered flattering or manipulating him, but strangely was just not in the mood for that this time.

The sunlight on his petals was welcome, anyway.


	4. Just Like Old Times

Just Like Old Times

After Frisk awoke from the power nap, he looked around himself. Flowey was nowhere to be seen. He must still be with Papyrus.

While Alphys enjoyed her anime collection, Undyne had found a new love. She was glued to the TV, gleefully smashing the buttons on the game controller. On the screen, a pale white figure with red markings was running around roaring and swinging a pair of fiery blades at his enemies. She held the controller in a variety of positions as she slashed, hacked, and bludgeoned her way through each stage.

"This... THIS is something I'll never get tired of!" She leaned forward intently, now repeatedly mashing a button and watching the character trap and mercilessly pummel an enemy. "This is even more fun than being in the Royal Guard!"

"Hey Undyne," called a voice. "Can we talk for a second?"

Undyne glared in the direction of the voice. "No! I'm busy getting revenge!"

Upstairs, Frisk gave a small smile at Alphys. "It's okay. We can tell her later."

Alphys listened as Frisk laid out his ideas. Her expression slowly brightened.

"W-well, I... I'm really glad you did this! And, I think... I think if anyone can help him, it's you. Uhh... I feel weird asking. Especially after... you know. But... is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah, there is. Just do the same thing. Be a friend to him too." He paused for a moment. "It's going to be different this time. No experiments. No injections. No machines. No laboratory. Nothing like that."

"Yeah..."

Frisk thought for a moment. "By the way, I need to find something for him to do. He can't just sit on the table all day. He will be bored out of his mind."

"That's... that's a good question. Well, um... Undyne is enjoying video games. How about that?"

Frisk nodded. "That's an idea. Think you can design some kind of controller or something he could use?"

"Sure! That's no problem. I'll get right on it."

It wasn't long before Alphys had a workable device that would allow Flowey to interface with a computer screen. The real question was, what would Flowey want to play?

What would Asriel want to play?

The juxtaposition between the two was clear. Asriel was loving, nurturing. Flowey was destructive. Asriel liked to grow things. Flowey loved wielding power unfairly. Frisk had seen both.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

Later that day, Frisk and Alphys busily worked at hooking up a computer next to Flowey's pot. The computer was old, but still functional. It was unable to access the Internet, but could still run several programs.

"I want you to try something, Flowey. Here. Let me get you set up."

"I made this for you, Flowey. Try it out." Alphys hooked up a small interface to one of Flowey's leaves. Once the computer booted up, Flowey found he was able to move the mouse around via the interface. He was also able to input letters where necessary.

"Huh. Okay." Flowey experimented with the device, watching the pointer move and respond across the screen.

Frisk nodded, satisfied. "It works? Good. Now... I put a game on here for you. I want you to play it and tell me what you think. I think you'll like it." He booted the software up. "If you really don't like it, just tell me. I'll find something else for you."

"What kind of game is it?"

Frisk's hand sat on top of the monitor. "This game lets you build and run a city." He loaded it. The program popped up. A musical jingle. Then a menu screen. The title of the game displayed in large, colorful letters.

Flowey's face contorted as he looked at it. "'SimpleCity'?"

Frisk walked Flowey through some of the basics. Where to go to start a new city. How to load a city. Where to open a scenario, which contains a problem that needs to be solved.

"Now... how you play this is your choice. There's no right or wrong way. Play around with it, and tell me what you think, okay?"

"Okay..." He worked the mouse pointer. This actually did look interesting. "Er... Frisk. I have a question. Why is it called that? It doesn't look simple to me."

"Exactly. It's kind of like a joke." Frisk winked. "Now, I'll leave you alone. I need to go help Alphys with something."

Flowey experimented with the program. This was new, and different. He hadn't seen this before. After he familiarized himself with the controls, he loaded a scenario. A dialogue box popped up begging the new mayor to help control the rampant crime in the city. There were too few police departments and not nearly enough funding for the ones that were there. Newly-elected Mayor Flowey had to do something to make the streets crime-free again.

How to stop crime? That was easy. Flowey already knew the answer. He immediately went to the disaster menu and selected one disaster after another. Within seconds, monsters and aliens rampaged through the city, earthquakes ravaged it, floods devastated it. Rioters spilled out into the streets. Within a short amount of time, the city was in flames. The population dwindled to nothing.

A big grin crossed Flowey's face. No more crime.

He found that this was also a good solution to pollution. Traffic congestion. Unemployment. High housing costs. And especially, boredom. Solving problems created by humans was easy. The same rule applied in every situation.

Kill or be killed.

Frisk was right. This was fun. He played it over and over.

Each time, after he finished, he would reset the game. And do it again.

Just like old times, too.

In the basement, Undyne was being given the news. Alphys and Frisk explained their thoughts.

"I see. So... you want that flower to be part of the club too, huh?" She looked at them blankly. "I just can't even believe you would have a crazy idea like that. I don't know what goes through that head of yours when you come up with these things, Frisk. You want to know what I think?" Her mouth turned up into a grin. "I think it's a great idea. I'm behind you one hundred percent."

Frisk gave a soft chuckle. "Thanks, Undyne."

"Don't worry about him. I'll keep him safe, okay?" She then sneered. "But, you'd better be right about this! Or else!"

Flowey busied himself with the game until it started to become repetitive. Before long, he had seen it all. What else was there?

Maybe if he tried something different. Maybe...

The cursor hovered over the "new game" selection on the menu. Tentatively, he created a new map.

A large, blank land mass stared at him from the screen. His expression was just as blank as he looked over it. Suddenly, he had no idea what to do. He spent so much time destroying cities. How do you build one? Where do you put everything? Taking wild guesses, he haphazardly threw down some roads. He zoned a few areas.

Will it work?

What if it doesn't grow? What if it grows a little, and then dies? What if he makes things worse? What if the people end up hating him? What if the whole thing turns into a mess that he'll have to clean up later?

What was the point anyway? Didn't he have anything better to do?

Flowey read the built-in tutorials. He tried building something. Anything. He failed several times. His city didn't grow. He forgot to provide water. He didn't have enough power. He ran out of money over and over again. He laid down large patches of zoning, hoping to attract citizens.

But nobody came.

This was useless. And boring.

Then he tried again. And again. And then. Eventually. A few houses popped up. Then a few more. Then a few stores. Then cars could be seen on the streets. He built. And stumbled. And built. And screwed up. And built. He responded to citizens' demands. He managed problems.

Over time, after much trial and error, persistence, and especially determination, his fledgling village grew into a large metropolis. He built more buildings, grew the economy, kept the people safe. The citizens were happy. Soon, he couldn't expand any more. He had already filled up the whole map with thousands of buildings containing hundreds of thousands of happy people.

He was doing a fine job as mayor. The citizens loved him. Even if it was fake digital love, it must have counted for something. He actually found himself pleased with his success. And in the process, he was learning about cities and how they work.

Looking over his creation, he rubbed his leafy arms together.

The cursor hovered over the disaster menu. He clicked on the choices. One by one.

Due to the sheer size of the city, it took longer this time. But not much longer. Within moments, the entire city was in flames.

Frisk dug around and found a few other, similar simulation games, and loaded them onto Flowey's machine. But Flowey kept returning to the same one. He became preoccupied with it. He was adept at building cities. He would also bristle with excitement whenever his cities became large enough to completely smash into pieces.

Increasingly, however, he found himself more and more concerned with solving the cities' problems. Slowly but surely, he forgot about the disaster menu. He wanted to watch the cities grow.

Someone had to take care of those cities.

Frisk passed by the table upon which Flowey was sitting. Flowey banged a leaf against the edge of his pot.

"Frisk... I don't understand this. This is stupid."

"What is?"

Flowey gestured at the screen. "These idiots. They want you to build things that pollute. Then they complain about pollution." He huffed. "SimpleCity indeed. They are simple-minded fools."

"Yeah. It's true. People are difficult sometimes." Frisk tried not to laugh.

Nobody liked sitting in the house forever. Life couldn't be all about games and TV. They made frequent excursions outside. Either to take long walks, or tour and see different places in the city (usually in Papyrus' new car). As often as possible, Frisk took Flowey along. Flowey occasionally made snide comments regarding things he noticed along the way, but for the most part, found himself intrigued by the new world he was being shown.

They saw buildings. Forests. Beaches. People. There was always something else to see, something new and different around every corner. Flowey got to ride on a train for the first time. Then later, a ferry.

It was particularly rainy one day. That wasn't going to stop them. Together with his friends, Frisk stepped into the elevator in the major metropolitan building. He held Flowey close to him as well.

The elevator rumbled. It went up dozens of stories, until it finally hit the top. The bell dinged. They stepped out, and were greeted by an expansive, panoramic view of the entire city.

Mist still hung in the air from the rain. A rainbow was visible off in the distance, and the sun was cutting through the clouds. They could also see the beach, forest, Mount Ebott. In contrast to the relatively confined Underground, the landscape on the surface seemed to stretch on forever. On the bucolic outskirts of the metropolitan center, they could see many smaller houses and villages clustered about.

"It's... it's a pretty nice view up here, huh?" Alphys looked over the many buildings down below.

"A nice change of pace," chimed in Undyne.

Papyrus leaned over the edge of the building. "THEY LOOK LIKE ANTS DOWN THERE!"

Frisk held Flowey up so he could get a better view. "What do you think?"

"It's, uh... big." Flowey looked over the many buildings. "It's different."

"Yeah. This is just one city out of thousands too, you know."

Flowey was perplexed at his new life. Things weren't supposed to go this way. He wasn't supposed to be there. But nobody seemed to care about that. It was just the way it was.

They were always diligent about watering him, feeding him, and putting him somewhere where he had sunlight. Or, at the very least, a sun lamp.

Alphys decided she wanted a sun lamp for herself.

Frisk periodically asked him how he was feeling. Flowey always scoffed in return. Frisk didn't mind, and always reminded him that someone cared about him.

Around the house, they played music. Flowey didn't like all of it. But he found he liked some of it. He responded especially well to slower, classical music, and eventually asked Frisk for a way to listen to more of it.

It wasn't long before Undyne found herself bored fighting against computer opponents. She knew all their tricks by now. She wanted a real challenge. Someone unpredictable. It didn't take her long to settle on her next adversary.

After Flowey was able to be hooked up to the game console, she pummeled him repeatedly. Interspersed with her numerous overwhelming victories were also bits of encouragement. Flowey was determined to beat her. After enough practice, he turned out to be a formidable opponent. More and more often, he rubbed his victories in her face.

What was happening to him? It was hard for him to place the feeling. Was he actually starting to have fun?

When he was bored with the entertainment, he asked for reading material. He wanted to know more. He learned about the immediate area he was in. Then, gradually, he started to learn about other places. Other times. Whereas before, he learned about the history of the Underground, now he was learning about the history of the surface.

Though he was no stranger to violence, he found himself wondering how much of that violence was really necessary.

Humans are weird.

Sometimes on clear nights, he wanted to be placed outside under the stars. They were in stark contrast to the stars he knew in the Underground. As they didn't live near city lights, he saw the vastness of the universe more clearly. He had no idea it was so huge. Before long, he took an interest in science. Then he wanted to learn other things. He devoured information about all kinds of subjects, left and right.

What was he going to do with this information? Well, it really didn't matter.

You should go back, Flowey. Haven't you had enough yet? Go back to where you really belong.

Flowey paused. Then, he kept reading.

What was there to go back to, exactly?

The changes were not unnoticed by Frisk. He sat in his room, with Alphys sitting across from him.

"I'm really surprised, Frisk. He seems... I dunno. How can I describe it?"

"Happier?"

"Y-yeah! Happier." She fidgeted. "I was never able to do this. I mean... I tried different things, and all, when I tried to help him, but..."

Frisk stared out the window at the stars. His head was propped up in his hands. "Alphys... I don't know if he can come back. Maybe Asriel is gone forever. Maybe this is the best we'll be able to do for him. But if he's happy..." He turned to face Alphys. "Is there more you can ask for? Does anything else really matter?"

"Y-yeah..." Alphy's eyes were wet. "Frisk, I'm still glad we were able to do this for him. I even feel better now than I did before." She sighed softly. "You're such a good friend. I'm... I'm glad we got to work together on this."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Alphys."

They approached each other and exchanged a hug.

A few moments went by. Then Frisk picked up something off of his desk. "Oh, by the way. I got you a present. It's your birthday, right?"

Alphys blinked. "Uhh... no."

"Well, happy birthday anyway. Here." He handed Alphys a DVD.

Alphys paused, holding the case in her hand. "Studio Glibly?" She turned it over, looking at the cover artwork. It was colorful and elegant. The run time for this movie was 135 minutes. Quite a far cry from the series of 30 minute long shorts she was accustomed to. "Hmm. This... this looks interesting. T-thanks Frisk!"

"You're welcome. I thought you would like it. Be sure to tell me what you think."

"I definitely will!"


	5. Strangely Like Caring

Strangely Like Caring

It was a busy day downtown. People were bustling through the sidewalks, and hover vehicles hummed quietly along the streets. Cyclists zipped along in the bike lanes. A few clouds hung in the air. Sitting down near an outdoor kiosk, Frisk and Sans basked in the warm sunlight. Frisk had a hot dog. Sans had a gyro wrap.

"i've never had one of these before. i especially like the sauce." He tilted his head back and poured tzatziki sauce directly into his mouth. "gyro always getting me to try new things."

"Yeah."

Sans eyed all of the new condiments on the small table. "it'll be a while before i get my fala-fill of this new stuff."

"I'll curry you over to another restaurant and show you some other things."

"you're catching on, kid."

They quietly munched on their food. As they ate, a small drone buzzed overhead. It veered off, spun in a circle, and crashed into the side of a large building. A few bystanders watched as the debris fell to the ground.

"Have you thought about getting a job doing something?"

"mm... nah. most jobs require you to work. besides, doing nothing is hard too. you have to think about what you aren't going to do, and then avoid making a plan to not do it."

"That sounds like a plan. Maybe." Frisk continued working on his food. "It was interesting, Sans. You should have seen him."

"go on."

"Well, first he was destroying cities in the game. He was having fun with this. But later, he started building cities and taking care of them." Frisk leaned in. "See, that's what I wanted to find out. That's why I gave him that game. It would help me see where he was at. You know?"

"sounds like a neat game. maybe i should try it. what were you trying to find out exactly?"

"Whether or not he was able to care. Think about it Sans. If he really can't feel anything, then he wouldn't have played the game that way. He wouldn't have cared about building anything. Make sense?"

"interesting." Sans glanced across the street. "i wouldn't have expected it."

"I still don't believe that he can't feel. I think he just went through a very bad time, and cut himself off." He held his half-eaten hot dog. "It's just... this is deep."

Sans took a long swig of his seltzer water. He glanced around the intersection, watching the foot and vehicle traffic. A few pigeons scurried about on the ground, looking for crumbs.

"see, kid... flowey and i have a history."

"That doesn't surprise me. What kind?"

"not an easy one. let's just put it that way." He wolfed down a large portion of hummus. "maybe you already know this, but you and i have two very different ways of looking at him. when you look at him, you see who he used to be. when i look at him, i see who he is now." He grinned. "you're an optimist. as for me, maybe i'm a... what's the word? a realist. make sense?"

Frisk set down his food, staring ahead. "Yeah. It does." He rubbed his chin. "Maybe you need both views?"

"is there a right way to look at it? to tell you the truth kid... i don't know. all i can say is, just do what you feel is right."

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing? With all of this?"

"the only way you will know is to see where this takes you. maybe you think things are right or wrong. but maybe it's really a matter of what works and what doesn't. like i said, kid. you're in uncharted territory. nobody has ever done this before."

Sans stood up. "good luck. just take it easy. some of this probably isn't in your control."

* * *

Flowey was determined to beat Undyne this time. She was using a new fighter. She was pulling all kinds of new tricks. He was going to learn those tricks, and beat her all over again.

"I'm going to murder you!"

Undyne sneered. "Not before I punch you in the face! For the fiftieth time!"

Each time he lost, they reset. He would learn her strategy. He would beat her, only to watch her learn a different way of playing, and beat him back.

He would often believe he had learned all there was to learn, only to learn he was wrong. Her strategy was always different, always changing. He could never predict her.

Sometimes, they were on the same team. They worked together to fight off their enemies. Flowey was persistent, and hammered at his opponents over and over, completely wearing them down. Undyne exploited every weakness she could find and brought the opponents to their knees.

Scorched earth. No mercy.

They were a great team.

"We need a team name," said Undyne. "How about... 'Best Frenemies?'"

Of course, Flowey couldn't join her in her real fighting practice. But that was okay. She had other outlets for that. She was advancing rapidly in her martial arts training. She knew a lot about fighting. But so did the humans. There was always something new to learn.

From time to time, she would spar with Frisk. They would both use wooden swords or staves, or other training implements.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Undyne? I have bested you before, you know."

Undyne grumbled. "That wasn't *you*. Okay? That was... other circumstances!"

"Yeah. Sure."

Thwack. Thwack. Smack.

Frisk didn't always lose. It didn't matter. She was careful not to hurt him. He felt safer having her around anyway.

Even when she was busy on her favorite games.

"Rip and tear! Rip and tear!"

Alphys didn't like the fighting games at all. They were too gruesome for her tastes. Board games and turn-based games were her favorite. She found herself looking for someone to play those with too.

"W... what shall we play, Flowey?"

A sinister grin would cross Flowey's face. He would rub his leaves together. "How about 'Global Thermonuclear War'?"

"Uhh... a-heh. Wouldn't you prefer a good game of chess?"

Flowey was calculating enough to be effective at those kinds of games too.

"See what your problem is, Alphys? You trust me just a little too much. You don't think I'm going to do *this*!" With that, he knocked away Alphys' queen, replacing it with his knight.

Ouch. That hurt. But she knew better now. She wasn't going to make that mistake next time.

And when she finished painting all of her Battle Hammer figurines, she was definitely going to beat him at that too. After she found some that he could use too, of course.

Flowey could be snide. Cold. Ruthless. Cunning. Sharp as a knife's edge.

Even whenever he would share a tip. A trick. Maybe even, a bit of encouragement. In his own characteristic manner, of course.

"Come on, you idiot. Did you really think that would work? You can do better than this. You really should do it this way next time."

His passion was showing through. Increasingly, he was going from being a sullen spectator to a brash, sometimes overconfident participant.

His confidence was rubbing off on Alphys especially. She and Undyne both grew to love it. They couldn't get enough.

Things wouldn't have been the same without him.

Weeks went by.

Frisk approached him one day when he was sitting quietly. "How are you feeling, Flowey?"

Flowey snorted. "What am I, some kind of sick patient?"

"Don't mean to come across that way. I just want to you know someone cares about you. That's all."

"Okay." A pause. "Uh... Frisk?"

"Yeah?"

Another long pause. "I can't believe I'm asking you this, but... how do you feel things?" He looked blankly at Frisk. "How do you care about things?"

Pulling up a chair, Frisk took a seat next to him. "In what way?"

"Well... I haven't actually felt anything in a long time. I haven't felt like I care about anyone."

"You feel some things, don't you? I mean... when you watch movies, you get excited during action scenes and things like that, right? You like music. In fact, I know you like helping Alphys and Undyne. You're always giving them pointers."

"Yeah... I guess. But I know there's more I could feel too." He let out a nervous chuckle. "I just don't care about anyone, or anything. It feels like... a blank. It's hard to explain." He sighed and hung his head. "I wasn't always like this."

"Yeah."

"Maybe it's because of what happened. I tried for a long time afterwards to care. But I guess, to tell you the truth..." Flowey glanced down. "...I just never had anyone to talk to about it."

"You must have felt very alone. Maybe even isolated."

"...yeah. Nobody else understood. I saw them playing, having fun. They let me play with them. But why couldn't I feel what they were feeling?" He let out a sigh. "Why even say anything? They wouldn't have any idea what I was talking about."

"Yeah. That must have been very difficult." He paused. "You know what though?"

"What?"

Frisk leaned in. "If I went through what you did... I wouldn't have talked about it with anyone else."

Flowey's eyes went wide. "...yeah. What would be the point? They wouldn't understand anyway."

Frisk pursed his lips and propped his chin on his hand, staring straight ahead. "The thing is, Flowey... you tell me you don't care. But I just don't see that about you. I think you're very caring. Maybe you don't realize it." He kept his gaze straight ahead. "I mean... if you really didn't care, you wouldn't be asking me these things."

A soft chuckle. "...I don't see how you could say *that*." He gave a weak smile. "I mean... it doesn't feel like caring."

"It's okay not to feel things sometimes. Look at me. Do I look emotional to you?" He gave a small smirk. "You don't have to care about everything all the time."

"It doesn't seem right to never feel anything."

"I know. I wish there was something I could do to help you feel differently." Frisk glanced down at the floor. Then turned back to look at him. "You know what though? Maybe you won't believe me when I say this. But everyone really likes you here."

Flowey tilted his head. "Why would they like me? I'm not very nice to them."

"They know you. That's why. They still really enjoy spending time with you. You challenge them."

"R-really?" Flowey lifted his head up. "I mean... that doesn't make sense." He paused. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

"That's just what they've told me."

"Well... I thought you were just putting up with me."

"Nope."

"Huh." The blank expression returned to Flowey's face. "Well..."

"I told you before, Flowey. I wanted a happy ending. I decided it wasn't a happy ending if you were left out. It's really that simple. You can take that, or if you don't trust me, you can leave it. It's up to you. Either way, you just need to know that someone cares about you."

Silence.

Frisk looked at him in the eyes. "Even if you don't care. That's up to you too."

"That's... nice." Flowey looked around the room. "But I don't feel any more caring."

"Don't worry about it right now. Maybe someday, you will."

Being the ambassador to the monsters was surprisingly easy. Most of the humans were excited to meet the newcomers. Frisk spent most of his time on social networking sites answering questions that were posted onto his various pages. Sometimes he had to reassure the occasional visitor that the barrier that kept the monsters trapped in the Underground was, in fact, the result of an old conflict, and was not part of an ongoing government conspiracy.

This didn't stop further speculation. Maybe if there were monsters underground, there were also monsters in outer space. Maybe those monsters created a barrier that is keeping everyone trapped here. Maybe there are even bigger monsters keeping *those* monsters trapped.

Other questions came. Sometimes Frisk had an answer. Sometimes not.

Will the monsters take our jobs? No, of course not. That's what robots are for.

At any rate. It was okay not to know everything. He took it in stride. And the more everyone learned about the situation, the less his input was needed. Eventually, he may even return to some semblance of a normal life someday.

Yeah, right.

Even so, things carried on as usual. Day-to-day life was uneventful, for the most part. The down-time was valuable. Frisk often ventured alone to various areas in the city. Parks. The botanical gardens. The beach. Anywhere and everywhere, to reflect on the future.

Although he liked the outside ventures, Flowey tended to prefer staying at home. There was usually at least one other person at home, in any case, just in case he needed something.

* * *

Alphys pored over a book that she had found recently.

"Hai... genki... subarashii... ki-kisama wa... tsuyoku nai..." She looked over the text.

"Whatcha reading Alphys?"

"Oh! It's... it's a book about Japanese. And manga. I decided I'm going to try to learn it! It'll help me understand everything better."

"That determination is really showing."

"Y-yeah! It is! I know I can do it if I put my mind to it!" She glanced around. "Oh, by the way, Frisk. I heard there's this tea house nearby. Want to try it? I mean, I kinda want to get out of the house."

"You do?"

"Sure! I mean... I'm kinda surprised at that too, really. A-heh." She blushed a little bit.

The overcast sky loomed above the two as they sat in the outdoor garden, sipping their drinks. The tea house had a Japanese theme, with colorful fans on the walls and decorative folding screens. Plants were all over the place, some hanging in baskets from the ceiling. There were very few patrons, and very little traffic outside. Definitely not a peak hour.

On the wall next to their table were several vines, adorned by small flowers. Frisk examined one of the flower blossoms. He studied its pink petals, gently touching one of them between his fingers. It was slightly discolored and beginning to wilt.

"Wow... heh. This is really a neat place. I mean... I didn't think I'd get out of the house much. But every time I do, well... I'm glad I did!"

"You should go to Japan sometime." Frisk twirled his napkin around his finger. "I bet you would really like it there."

"T-that's a good idea. But... wow. That's a really big trip. Uhh... I don't think I could do that."

Frisk smirked. "You made the trip out of the Underground to the surface. You could make the trip there too." He took a sip of his tea. "Just an idea."

"Well... heh! I mean... there's always more to see and do, right?"

"There is." Frisk chuckled softly. "Maybe we could go together. Someday."

"Y-yeah! That would be great! I mean... if I had someone to go with, it would be easier." She glanced around the room. "You're so smart, Frisk. Where did you learn all these things? I mean... humans go to school, right?"

"I never had a lot of time for school." He took another sip of his tea. "What with... well, it's hard to explain."

"...oh. Uhh... but, you seem like you like learning."

"I do. But I don't think I would have liked school."

"I see..." She shifted her gaze around. "C...can I ask you something, Frisk? I mean, I don't want to... you know, be too personal. But I always wondered. Why, exactly..." She paused. "Why did you go to the mountain?"

Frisk looked at her. "I don't know. That's a good question. I guess..." He rested his chin on his hand. "Where else was I going to go? I could stay where I was. Wait for someone to find a home for me." He glanced back outside. "I didn't care about that anyway. I wanted an adventure."

"...I see."

"That's a long story. Maybe we can talk about it later."

"Y-yeah... I mean, I hope it's okay that I asked."

Frisk nodded. "Don't worry about it."

They continued sipping their drinks.

"So, Frisk. Uhh... what do you think about Flowey, so far?"

"What about him?"

"Well, I mean... he seems to be... how do you say it exactly? Like nothing's different."

"Like he's himself?"

"...yeah! That's it!"

"Yeah. You like playing games with him, don't you?"

"Well... the thing is... he's kind of, well... what's the word. Harsh? But... it doesn't bother me. Because he's fun to play with! I mean... he makes it fun. In his own way. You know?" She took another sip of her drink. "But... that's the thing. He's still himself. Like... the same as usual."

Frisk nodded. He turned and looked at the quiet scenery outside.

"Y-You really are concerned about him, aren't you?"

Frisk was silent for a few moments. "I felt really bad for him. He didn't deserve to go through what he did." He huffed. "I really wanted him to have a new life. I didn't care what he tried to do to me. I felt like I loved him just the same."

Alphys nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. Me too." She lifted her head up. "I think you did a really good thing though. Do you think... he could ever be himself again? I mean, like... his real self?"

"If it happens, it happens." Frisk shrugged. "If it doesn't, it doesn't. I really don't know, Alphys." Exhaling slowly, he squeezed the vine in his hand, crushing the petals. "This has to work. I know something is changing."

"Maybe! That would be really cool if it did. But, uh... you know... it's not your fault, though. What happened."

Frisk gazed silently at the meager amount of traffic outside. "Yeah. You're right. It's not." He rubbed his head.

Alphys glanced down. "Y-yeah..." He took a deep breath. "I mean... this is all up to you. But maybe... it can help if you talk to others too. About how you feel."

A slow nod. "Yeah... I should, huh?" He glanced back outside. "I guess I'm used to being on my own."

His finger ran up the vine, looking at a few flower buds that had not matured yet.

Alphys glanced down for a moment, before looking back up. "I was thinking about something actually, Frisk."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! So, with Flowey, well... you want him to grow his soul again, I guess. Right? Or help him find it? Or... regenerate it? Maybe? That's the idea?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Which makes sense because, well... he's a flower. I mean... that's what you do with flowers, right? You take care of them, and help them grow, and... nurture them, I guess."

Frisk thought for a moment. "Yeah. I see what you mean. I hadn't thought of it like that before."

"Yeah! So you want to nurture him, and help him grow. Except, you're trying to do that with his soul."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. That makes sense actually."

Alphys' expression brightened again. "So, maybe that's why this is a really good idea! What you're doing."

"I hope you're right, Alphys."

"W-well... cheer up, Frisk! Flowey's lucky to have a good friend like you. No matter what happens. I'm sure he appreciates it. You know... even if... even if he doesn't say anything."

"Yeah... I hope so." He clutched his napkin. "I can't give up on him. And I'll still take care of him no matter what."

Alphys gave a slight smile. "I-I want you to know something though, Frisk. You did a lot for me, and everyone else. I want to be there for you too. I'm here to help you any way I can."

Frisk looked at her, his eyes wet. "Thanks, Alphys. That really means a lot to me." He finally finished the last bit of tea.

* * *

The inside of the house was quiet and dark one evening. Flowey glanced around the room a little bit.

Something was different.

He noticed a strange figure in the middle of the room. Something seemed familiar about her.

"Hello Asriel." She had a sweet smile, and a sweater with a heart on it. She walked up to him silently. Slowly. "Do you remember me? Your best friend?"

"Y-yeah... yeah, I do remember." His face was locked in confusion. It felt off, somehow, being called by his real name.

"Good." She approached him. He caught a closer glimpse of her face. Cheerful and innocent, were it not for those solid black eyes. "Now I want you to come back. We're going to be good friends again, okay? It'll be just like before."

A sinking feeling came over Flowey. "I..."

"Shhh... it's going to be alright. This is just a bad dream. We can be together and have fun again. Reach out and touch my hand, and we'll be best friends again. Forever."

Flowey kept his leafy arms close to himself. Was she even real? Was she an apparition? It was hard to tell.

"Don't you remember? When we first met? The jokes we played on the king? All the time we shared together? Even when you died, I never really left you."

The memories flooded through his mind, as if he were leafing through a photo album. One scene appeared in his mind for a brief review, then instantly changed to another, and another. Happy ones. Sad ones. Ones that made him chuckle, but also ones that made him feel guilty. He mulled over the imagery.

Yeah. That was kind of fun. Back then, anyway. It kind of was.

Maybe.

More thoughts crept in. More feelings. Murderous thoughts. Destructive thoughts. Then, that urge to do away with all of it.

What did he have to lose? Those people who cared about him? Who loved him? They didn't care, nor did they love him. Stop bothering with them. You have better things to do.

"Enough playing, Asriel. You can't let these things hold you back forever. It's time to end this now."

Images flashed in his mind like giant shadows, cast by a large fire. All those atrocities he could commit. Why not? He could stop any time he wanted.

The feelings weren't as strong as before. They were there. But not so compelling this time.

She was right. It was time.

Time to end this.

Slowly, he raised his gaze up to meet hers. "...being with you was a mistake."

She looked back at him, expressionless.

Flowey stared her down. Slowly his face changed. It looked the way it did before, just a little bit. "We can't be friends anymore, Chara."

"Why not?"

"Because, Chara... I have better things to do."

Chara pierced him with those eyes. "Come on, Asriel. Don't be shy. Don't you remember the good times?" She reached her hand out. Flowey pulled his arm away. Tendrils appeared, slithering towards him, beginning to coil around him slowly. "You always were a crybaby. Why don't you come back? Why don't you..."

He pulled back. A brief tug-of-war. A wrenching sensation. He held his ground.

No. Not this time.

It continued to pull. Then, it faded away. It was gone.

The voice echoed in his mind as it disappeared. "I'm sorry, Asriel... I'm sorry for everything. Always do... what you feel is right."

He awoke from the dream, trembling.

Rays of sunlight shone through the windows, illuminating the room and pushing the last vestiges of darkness out. They also fell upon him too, calming and soothing him.

That was it. Whatever that was, whatever it meant, he didn't need it anymore.

He glanced around the room. It was dawn. Nobody was around.

He hung his head. He found himself remembering some of the good times he had spent with her. Maybe he was too hard on her. Would he ever see her again? If things could be different a second time around, well...

Soon, he became aware of a different feeling. What was it this time? It felt like a warmth, enveloping him. It was the sun, wasn't it?

No. It wasn't.

This was different. He had felt this before. Somewhere. It felt familiar. He knew this feeling.

The feeling was welling up inside of him. It wanted to come back. It wasn't stopping. He couldn't describe it.

It felt strangely like caring.

That stupid feeling. Look at what it made him do. None of this ever would have happened.

He wouldn't have carried Chara up to the surface. He wouldn't have died. He wouldn't be here. With his so-called friends. Those idiots. They would care about him no matter what happened. He didn't even have to care about them in return.

But he could.

Not only that. If caring wasn't enough, he felt that maybe... maybe he could even love them.

The silence in the room was disturbed by the sound of something thudding softly into the dirt in his pot.

A tear rolled down his face. It hung on the edge of one of his petals for a moment, then fell off. Then, more came. One after another.

A flower watering itself. He was momentarily amused by this. This passed however, once his face drooped over the dirt and he began crying profusely.

* * *

Sunlight was still streaming through the windows later that day. There was some shuffling, some movement around the house. Sensing something was different, Frisk approached Flowey.

"How are you feeling today?"

A pause.

"Are you alright?"

"Frisk..." Flowey hung his head. "Well... never mind..."

"No, tell me. What is it?"

More silence. It took a moment for Flowey to raise his head to meet Frisk's. A wet, defeated look in his eyes. "Frisk... I don't want to be a flower anymore."

Frisk nodded slowly. His expression didn't change.

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."

"I did though. That's the choice I made. There's nothing you can do about that."

"Yeah..." He looked down at the dirt around him. Then lifted his head up again. "I mean... it doesn't make sense. I don't understand. Why? I don't deserve it. Not after what I did."

Frisk slowly reached out, gently taking one of the flower's leaves in his hand. "I wanted you to be with us. It wouldn't have been a happy ending otherwise. Not without you."

Flowey let out a nervous laugh. "I guess... honestly Frisk, I do like the games. I'm pretty sure Undyne lets me win, sometimes. It doesn't matter though. It's nice to do something different. When you play with someone else, things aren't the same all the time."

"Yeah. That's true, isn't it?"

"Then, how you keep showing me new things. Trying to help me have fun. I feel like things are... really different. I've never felt this way before." He looked up. "I wish I could tell you how I feel."

"Don't worry about it. You don't have to tell me anything. You just need to know that someone cares about you."

"Frisk... you keep asking me how I'm feeling. I always hated that. I thought you were just taking pity on me."

"Yeah?"

"But, the truth is... I'm scared, Frisk. That doesn't make sense. I shouldn't be scared. But I am."

Frisk nodded.

Flowey glanced around the room. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Shoot."

"Can you move me? Maybe over there?" He gestured to a spot on the ledge, near the window.

"How come?"

"Well... I just want to do one thing today." Flowey looked out the windows. "I want to watch the sunset."

"Well, sure. I can do that." Frisk obliged, lifting the heavy pot and putting it on the ledge. The sun's rays shone in his face.

"Heh. Thanks, Frisk."

"Yeah, you're welcome. I'm here for you. If you need anything, just tell me, okay?"

For the rest of the evening, the sun made its gradual descent behind Mount Ebott. Flowey's shadow grew longer over the night, as he basked in the sunlight.

The feeling was growing within him even more. It was too big for a flower now.

He didn't try to stop it.


	6. A World Full of Possibilities

A World Full of Possibilities

Thwack. Thwack. Smack.

The morning sparring contest was fun to watch. Sometimes Undyne beat her opponent. Sometimes she didn't. She knew a lot. She also had a lot to learn. Still, watching the spectacle was a nice break from being the ambassador to the monsters.

Eventually, they were going to have to find a way to put footage of it online.

On his way home, Frisk stopped to get supplies. He arrived and walked through the front door, dropping everything off in the kitchen. It was at that moment that he noticed the flower pot was on the floor. It was in pieces, and there was dirt everywhere.

Frisk's heart skipped a beat. He leaned against the refrigerator, shutting his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he knelt down and dug through the dirt pile.

Flowey was nowhere to be seen.

Frisk looked outside again, in the backyard. Birds were chirping. The sun was shining. It was a perfect day.

Could he have gotten far? Could he have burrowed into the dirt and disappeared? Frisk walked around the perimeter of the house, inspecting everything. No sign.

Frisk paused for a moment, sitting on a staircase. Was he gone for good? Maybe he just wanted a way out. If he really was gone, hopefully he was happy wherever he was now.

Frisk hoped dearly that he was okay, too.

After a few moments, he got back up. He searched through the rooms.

Eventually, he stepped into the living room. His breathing stopped when he caught sight of what lay in front of him.

Bright sunlight streamed through the windows onto the couch. A pillow was sitting on the ground. It must have been knocked over. And, something else was on the couch. Something that had never been there before. Slowly, Frisk crept over.

He didn't want to wake the creature. Who knows what he had just been through? But he had to be sure, too. He had to just see, if it was what he thought it was.

Reaching out slowly, he touched the creature's white fur. It was warm. There was a sign of a pulse. Looking closely, Frisk saw that the chest was rising up and down.

The creature was bigger than what he remembered. Almost as if he had grown somewhat, since last time.

At that moment, the creature opened his eyes. Those soft blue eyes met Frisk's.

"Oh. Hi Frisk."

Frisk slowly got down onto his knees. He placed a hand on the cushion. A tear rolled down his cheek. His voice quivered.

"How are you feeling today?"

The creature just looked at him for a moment. Then slowly, he reached up to rub one of his eyes.

"Haha. Come on, Frisk." He gave a soft smile. "Do you have to ask?"

A few more tears dropped from Frisk's face, and he smiled too. It was the biggest smile he could muster. He reached out with both hands, wrapping his arms around the creature and hugging him as tightly as he could, tears streaming down his face and into the creature's fur, leaving it wet and matted where his face pressed against it. The creature reached out and hugged him back, just as tightly. They rocked back and forth gently.

After a moment, the creature sniffled. "I've always been a crybaby, Frisk." His voice was breaking.

"I don't care. Be the biggest crybaby you want to be."

They sat there in a tight embrace for several moments.

Suddenly, Frisk broke out into a laugh, his eyes wet. "You still didn't answer my question."

"Frisk. I... I really don't want to let go." He paused. "Does that count?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it does." He squeezed the creature some more. "...I'm proud of you. You have no idea."

The two sat outside on a swinging bench, facing away from the house. The stream flowed nearby. Birds were chirping. The sun was shining. A few small clouds hung overhead. It was a perfect day.

"Hey Asriel. When I was in the Underground, I found this." Reaching into his pocket, Frisk produced the locket. Tentatively, Asriel took it and opened it. He was greeted by a picture of himself, and Chara. Best friends forever.

Asriel gazed over the image. He was silent. His clawed hand slowly wrapped around the locket, squeezing it. He shut his eyes. A heavy feeling came over him.

He stood up. A pause. A slow, deep breath.

Then, he pulled his arm back and threw it. It sailed through the air, landing in the stream. It made a small splash as it hit the surface and was carried away by the current.

Slowly, he sat back down. "Um. Sorry. Unfinished business."

"Your old friend?"

Asriel turned to glance at him forlornly. "Yeah."

Frisk nodded.

"I was wrong about all that, Frisk." He put his chin in his hands. "I guess I just wanted a friend."

A hand rested on Asriel's shoulder, rubbing it.

"Chara wasn't that bad of a person, Frisk. She had some problems, but she was funny. You may have liked her even." He looked at the horizon. "Looking back, maybe she was just trying to do the right thing. I don't know. Either way, I paid the price for it."

"Yeah."

Asriel looked over at him. "The thing is, Frisk, the things we do have consequences. There were consequences for me. For her."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Asriel. You shouldn't have to pay for every mistake forever."

Asriel looked down silently. He huffed. "Maybe. But even so, I did some pretty bad things."

"Yeah. You went through a really hard time though."

Asriel stared ahead, pursing his lips. "That doesn't mean it was okay. I still had a choice." Slowly, his face dropped, sliding into his hands. "I thought it was all my fault."

"I know." Frisk rubbed his back. "We need to start over. We need to think about the future now."

Asriel slowly lifted his head back out of his hands. He smiled weakly, his eyes glistening. "I know."

"So I really want to know. How do you feel now?"

"It feels like..." Asriel wiped one of his eyes as he searched for the right words. "It feels like I've woken up from a dream. It's... different. In a good way. I guess... like I have myself back. It's hard to explain." He stretched his arms out, flexing his fingers. "I feel like I can do anything."

"Yeah, I think you can too."

"It's going to be interesting, living on the surface. With humans. I feel like maybe I have some catching up to do."

"You're not the only one." Frisk smirked. "You want to know something? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to miss being your enemy."

"Haha... what? Why?"

"Cause you're a good opponent." He brushed his knuckles against Asriel's shoulder. "I told you, I like challenges. I know you've still got that fight in you. Don't ever lose that, okay?"

"Uhh... I'll try not to!"

They continued looking over the horizon.

"We still need to tell your mom and dad."

Asriel laughed nervously. "Yeah. Uh... I wonder how they're going to take it?"

A pause. Then, they broke out into laughter.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Frisk put his arm around Asriel's shoulder.

"Haha... yeah. You know... I'll probably have to stay with them. I mean... I'd love to stay with you, though." He turned to look at Frisk. "I'd miss you."

Frisk smirked. "We'll share. How's that?"

Asriel turned his gaze away from the mountain. He glanced in another direction, looking at a large, vacant stretch of land, covered in grass.

Frisk tilted his head. "How about a new locket?"

"Oh! Um... that would be nice!"

"I can find one. In the meanwhile, we'll need a picture." Frisk pulled out his smart phone. "How about a selfie?"

"Haha! Yeah!"

After Frisk found a new locket, it soon contained a picture of the two. They were both smiling in the grainy photo, and Frisk's arm was outstretched toward the camera.

It wasn't long before the others caught wind of the news.

"SO... WE CAN'T HAVE A FLOWEY FAN CLUB ANYMORE..." Papyrus' gaze shifted left. Then right. "BUT... NO MATTER. NOW WE MUST BEGIN ANEW. IT'S TIME TO START... THE ASRIEL FAN CLUB!"

Frisk chuckled. "That's a good idea, Papyrus. But what will you do with all the Flowey stuff?"

"HMM... THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION... ONE THAT I'M SURE HAS A GOOD ANSWER..." His face suddenly lit up. "I KNOW! I'LL SELL IT ON EBAY!" He dashed off.

Alphys was mostly silent. But the weight was gone. She found herself calmer than she ever had been. Maybe her experiments didn't work. But this one did.

If this was possible, maybe anything else was too.

Undyne looked at Asriel silently. Eventually, she spoke. "I'm just... I'm speechless. I can't believe it, Asriel. I'm so happy for you. I really mean that." Then, she grinned. "Now, I can punch you in the face for real!"

Asriel tilted his head.

A sweet, innocent grin crossed Undyne's face. "...kidding!" She gave him a big hug. "But I still want to be your frenemy! Okay?"

* * *

The glow of the computer monitor illuminated Frisk's room. He was answering questions on his social media sites. Asriel lay on his bed, idly thumbing through a picture book.

"Frisk..."

"Yeah?"

"I've been meaning to ask you." He shifted around a little bit. "How can I say this. I mean... you've done so much for everybody. You really helped me a lot. But I have to wonder. What about yourself? What kinds of things do you want?"

"Such as?"

"Well... I don't know. I think you deserve to have something nice, too. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Frisk turned to face him. "Asriel, you don't have to do anything for me. I just want you to be happy and live your life. No matter what you decide to do."

Asriel frowned. He looked at Frisk in the eyes, almost sternly. "Come on, Frisk. That's not a good enough answer." He rolled over and sat up. "I know you care about me. You're a great friend. But I care about you too. It's not fair if you're helping so many people and not getting anything nice for yourself. So I'm going to ask you again. What can I do for you? How can I make your life better?"

Frisk paused. His mind searched for an answer.

He was used to being on his own.

"There has to be something, Frisk." He eyed Frisk's facial expressions, studying them, waiting for a response.

Frisk's expression was blank. "That's... really kind of you to ask. I just can't decide right now. Can I get back to you on that?"

Asriel's muzzle slowly turned up into a smile. "Sure. But you have to tell me eventually, okay?"

"I will."

Asriel continued looking at him in the eyes. "Promise?"

Frisk laughed softly. "Okay, okay, you win. I promise."

"Haha! Finally, you let me win. I feel better now." He thought. "Well, if you can't think of anything right now, maybe I can just be your friend. How's that?"

"Yeah..." Frisk nodded slowly. "I would love to have you as my friend. I really mean that, too."

"Yeah. I know."

"In fact... right now, I can't think of anything better you could give me."

Later that evening, Asriel found himself outside, looking at the stars. It was different this time looking at them as a monster, instead of as a flower. The sound of crickets came from all directions, and the stream nearby was trickling softly. A gentle wind blew through the trees and bushes, making the leaves rustle. Things seemed clearer, richer. The details more apparent.

"we meet again."

Asriel blinked. He knew that voice. He turned his head and peered into the darkness.

"You."

"couldn't be anyone else, right?" The figure grinned, staying in place. A glowing blue light met Asriel's gaze.

Asriel turned around completely, facing him. A tumbleweed rolled through the space between them.

"So... what now?"

"that's a good question. what now?" He looked up at the stars. "it depends, i guess. what hopes and dreams do you have?"

"Well... what about you and me? I mean... are we good?"

"only under one condition, kid."

"What's that?"

The figure stepped in a little closer. "just that you enjoy your life. and take care of yourself. cause someone's looking out for you. okay?"

A long pause.

"O...okay."

"keep your chin up. i can't promise things will always be easy. but they will get better. sound good?"

"Yeah... yeah, it does." Asriel smiled a little bit. "Thanks. That means a lot to me."

"i'll take you out for lunch soon. there's this really good place near downtown. i know a shortcut."

"I can't wait."

"see you later, kid."

He winked. He was gone.

Asriel looked back up at the stars. There was so much out there. The world was full of possibilities. Which direction should he choose?

He would have to pick one. Sooner or later.

END

Thanks for reading! Love it? Hate it? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you thought.


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